Napoleon’s Scientists and the Pyramids

At the NYT, Katherine Bouton reviews Nina Burleigh’s new book, “Mirage: Napoleon’s Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt,” which I’m eager to see. In the course of the review, she writes of the French invasion of Egypt in 1798:

‘ Some historians see this venture as an exploratory expedition gone wrong. Others, including the historian Juan Cole in his recent book “Napoleon’s Egypt: Invading the Middle East,” call it a brutal invasion. In an article in The Nation in August, Cole drew a parallel with our current situation in Iraq. ‘